Identity, Society and Culture

Summary

Dr. Steve Klein explores the intricate relationship between identity, society, and culture in this educational video. He distinguishes between personal and social identity, highlighting how they shape our self-concept and group affiliations. Furthermore, he delves into cultural identity, emphasizing its foundational role in our understanding of self and societal norms. Using the analogy of a mobile phone, he illustrates the difference between society's structural framework (hardware) and culture's guiding beliefs and values (software). The video serves as a foundational insight into the dynamics of communication within and across cultures.

Takeaways

• 😀 Dr. Steve Klein discusses the interrelationship between identity, society, and culture in the context of communication studies.
• 🔍 The video aims to explore how our identity is shaped by our social and cultural positions, building on previous discussions about perception.
• 🧩 The distinction between society and culture is highlighted as crucial for understanding challenges in intercultural communication and media impacts.
• 📍 Society is likened to the 'hardware' of a mobile phone, focusing on the structural and operational systems that organize a community.
• 📚 Culture is compared to the 'software' of a phone, encompassing the beliefs, values, and norms that give meaning to actions and interactions.
• 🤔 Personal identity is described as self-concept, influenced by individual life experiences and what makes a person unique.
• 👥 Social identity arises from interpersonal commitment to social groups, based on shared interests and common concerns.
• 🌐 Cultural identity is internally constructed, reflecting long-standing historical and social traditions that impart expectations for behavior.
• 🏛 The United States is used as an example to illustrate the differences between society (organizational infrastructure) and culture (core beliefs and values).
• 🌟 U.S. culture's positive aspects and internal flaws, such as race, gender, and social power constructs, are acknowledged as part of its ongoing cultural negotiation.
• 🌱 Culture is dynamic, subject to change through communication and social interaction, and includes not only nationality and ethnicity but also aspects like gender and socioeconomic class.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Dr. Steve Klein's video lesson?

The main focus of Dr. Steve Klein's video lesson is to explore the interrelationship between identity, society, and culture in the context of communication studies.

How does Dr. Klein define 'identity' in the video?

Dr. Klein defines 'identity' as the characteristics and attributes that define who a person or a group is, encompassing both personal and social aspects.

What is the difference between personal identity and social identity according to the video?

Personal identity refers to the self-concept that is connected to an individual's life experiences and what makes them unique. Social identity, on the other hand, is derived from involvement in social groups where one is interpersonally committed and enacts membership in a group with common interests and concerns.

Can you explain the concept of 'cultural identity' as discussed in the video?

Cultural identity is based on socially constructed categories that teach us a way of being and include expectations for social behavior. It is more fundamental and ingrained in our identity, often pre-existing us and likely to outlive us.

What is the primary distinction between 'society' and 'culture' in Dr. Klein's explanation?

Society refers to the organizational infrastructure of a community, including structures, systems, and institutions. Culture, in contrast, is about the core beliefs, values, rules, and expectations that define the group of people and their actions within that social structure.

How does Dr. Klein suggest we differentiate between social identity and cultural identity?

Social identity is externally constructed through membership in social groups and is driven by interpersonal activity and commitment. Cultural identity is internally constructed, often from birth, and is driven by pre-existing historical and social traditions.

What is the analogy Dr. Klein uses to explain the difference between society and culture?

Dr. Klein uses the analogy of a mobile phone to explain the difference. Society is like the hardware of the phone—the physical structure and operational systems. Culture is like the software—the apps and functionalities that make the phone meaningful for the user.

How does the concept of 'American exceptionalism' relate to U.S. culture as discussed in the video?

American exceptionalism is an ideology that views the United States as a unique and special nation with a divine mission regarding its values, especially freedom and equality. It is a part of the cultural identity that has shaped and defined the U.S. culture.

What are some of the internal flaws in U.S. culture that Dr. Klein mentions, and how do they relate to the concept of culture?

Dr. Klein mentions that U.S. culture has developed race, gender, and sexuality as primary means for establishing social power for some people at the expense of others. These internal flaws are part of the ongoing negotiation and interrogation of the cultural tradition to identify and address problematic aspects.

How do the concepts of nationality, ethnicity, and race intersect with the idea of culture according to the video?

Nationality, ethnicity, and race are aspects of culture that involve traditions and histories of acceptable versus unacceptable assumptions about beliefs, values, and behaviors. They are part of the ongoing negotiation of learned and patterned cultural elements.

What is the role of communication in the development and maintenance of culture as explained in the video?

Communication plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of culture as it is through continuing processes and practices of communication and social interaction that culture is established, maintained, and evolves over time.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introduction to Identity, Society, and Culture

Dr. Steve Klein introduces the video series on communication studies, focusing on the interplay between identity, society, and culture. He discusses the importance of understanding the distinctions between society and culture and how they impact perception and self-concept. The video aims to explore how one's identity is shaped by their social and cultural positions, emphasizing the need to differentiate between personal, social, and cultural identities.

05:01

👥 Social and Cultural Identities Defined

This paragraph delves into the definitions of social and cultural identities. Social identity is described as a choice-based involvement in groups with common interests, while cultural identity is rooted in historically and socially constructed categories that dictate expected behaviors. The distinction is clarified by outlining that social identity is externally constructed through membership, whereas cultural identity is internally constructed and often predetermines one's way of being.

10:02

📱 Society and Culture: The Mobile Phone Analogy

Dr. Klein uses the analogy of a mobile phone to illustrate the difference between society and culture. Society is likened to the phone's hardware—the structure and systems that enable organized function. Culture, on the other hand, is compared to the software, apps, and usage that give the phone meaning and guide user behavior. This analogy serves to emphasize that society provides the framework within which culture operates, influencing actions and beliefs.

15:03

🏛️ U.S. Society: Infrastructure and Institutions

The fourth paragraph examines the concept of U.S. society, focusing on its organizational infrastructure, including political, legal, economic, and institutional aspects. It highlights the importance of these structures in facilitating social interactions and communal activities. The paragraph also touches on the role of communication and media services in enabling information sharing across the nation.

20:03

🗽 U.S. Culture: Values, History, and Beliefs

In this segment, Dr. Klein explores U.S. culture, discussing its core beliefs, values, and historical roots. He mentions the influence of Judeo-Christian traditions, the European Enlightenment, and the concept of the nuclear family. The paragraph also addresses the cultural flaws and the ongoing process of cultural development, including the negotiation of problematic historical aspects and the evolution of cultural norms.

25:04

🌈 Beyond Geography: The Broader Scope of Culture

The final paragraph broadens the discussion of culture beyond geographical boundaries, emphasizing that culture encompasses ongoing negotiations of beliefs, values, and behaviors. It acknowledges the importance of factors such as nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, and social constructs like gender and socioeconomic class. The paragraph concludes by highlighting the dynamic nature of culture and its impact on individual and communal identity.

Keywords

💡Identity

Identity in the script refers to the characteristics and attributes that define who a person or group is. It is central to the video's theme as it discusses how identity is shaped by both personal and social factors. For instance, the script differentiates between personal identity, which is connected to life experiences and makes an individual unique, and social identity, which arises from involvement in social groups.

💡Society

Society is presented as the organizational infrastructure that enables a group of people to function collectively. It is a key concept in the video, which contrasts society with culture to explore how they influence identity. The script mentions that society includes structures like political systems, economic systems, and institutions, which provide the framework for social interaction.

💡Culture

Culture is defined as a community's core beliefs, values, rules, and expectations. It is a fundamental concept in the video, which explains how culture is the software of a society, influencing behavior and norms. The script uses the analogy of a mobile phone to illustrate the idea that while society is the hardware, culture is the software that gives meaning to the actions and interactions within a society.

💡Perception

Perception is the process through which individuals interpret and understand the world around them. The script mentions perception in the context of how communication influences it, leading to conclusions about others' behaviors and self-concept. It is an important aspect of how identity is formed and understood within social and cultural contexts.

💡Social Identity

Social identity is derived from one's involvement in social groups and the interpersonal commitment to those groups. The script explains that social identity is externally constructed through membership in groups that share common interests. Examples from the script include being a member of a chess team or a sorority, which contribute to an individual's social identity.

💡Cultural Identity

Cultural identity is based on socially constructed categories that include expectations for behavior and ways of acting. The script distinguishes cultural identity as internally constructed and often predetermined by factors like ethnicity or nationality. It is a deeper layer of identity that informs an individual's sense of self within a larger historical and social context.

💡Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication refers to the exchange of information between individuals from different cultural backgrounds. The script touches on the challenges and obstacles in intercultural communication, emphasizing the importance of understanding cultural and social distinctions for effective interaction.

💡Self-Concept

Self-concept is an individual's understanding of their own identity, including their personal traits and characteristics. The script discusses self-concept as a component of personal identity, which is closely tied to life experiences and what makes an individual unique. It is an integral part of how individuals perceive themselves within the context of their social and cultural environments.

💡Mass Media

Mass media is mentioned in the script as a significant aspect of culture that influences social and cultural impacts. It refers to the various means of communication that reach large audiences, such as television, newspapers, and the internet. The script suggests that mass media plays a role in shaping cultural norms and values, and thus, it is an important factor in understanding cultural identity.

💡Historical Traditions

Historical traditions are the long-standing practices and customs that have been passed down through generations. The script emphasizes the role of historical traditions in shaping cultural identity, as they provide the pre-existing framework of beliefs and behaviors that individuals learn and internalize as part of their cultural upbringing.

💡American Exceptionalism

American exceptionalism is the belief that the United States is unique and has a special mission to fulfill in the world. The script uses this concept to illustrate how cultural values and beliefs, such as those stemming from the country's history and philosophy, contribute to the cultural identity of the United States and influence its societal structures and practices.

Highlights

Dr. Steve Klein discusses the interrelationship between identity, society, and culture in the field of communication.

Explains the distinction between society and culture, emphasizing their importance in understanding communication.

Identity is defined by personal characteristics and social attributes that shape who a person or group is.

Personal identity is connected to life experiences and what makes an individual unique.

Social identity arises from involvement in groups and interpersonal commitment to common interests.

Cultural identity is based on socially constructed categories and expectations for behavior.

Cultural identity is more ingrained and fundamental, often pre-existing and outliving an individual.

Differentiates social identity as externally constructed through group membership versus cultural identity as internally constructed.

Cultural identity is driven by historical and social traditions, unlike social identity driven by interpersonal activity.

Uses the analogy of a mobile phone to explain the difference between society (hardware) and culture (software).

Society is the organizational infrastructure, while culture consists of core beliefs, values, and expectations.

Illustrates the concept of U.S. society and culture, highlighting the differences in their structures and values.

U.S. culture is influenced by historical, religious, and philosophical roots, shaping its values and priorities.

Cultural identity involves ongoing negotiation and patterned beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors.

Cultures are not just geographic; they encompass nationality, ethnicity, regional, and other social constructs.

The importance of understanding the dynamic nature of culture and its impact on communication and identity.

Encourages further questions and engagement with the content to deepen the study of communication.

Transcripts

[Music]

hi

i'm dr steve klein from the department

of communication at the university of

missouri

this is the latest in a series of online

video lessons intended to provide you

important principles and helpful

concepts for the study of communication

in this video i want to tackle the

interrelationship between

identity society and culture

in a previous video in the series we

looked at the processes

of perception and how communication

influences the perception process in

ways that lead us to learn about

and draw conclusions not just about how

other people behave and what might

explain

who they are based on how they behave

but also

ways of understanding our own

self-concept from the standpoint of

other people

so what we want to do is we want to take

it to the next level and think about how

our identity is informed in pretty

important ways

by our social and our cultural positions

now when we talk about society and

culture

these are terms that feel rather fuzzy

and we often use these terms

simultaneously to talk about large

groups of people

that have some kind of communal identity

but in fact

there are some really important

distinctions between society

and culture and these distinctions are

going to be important to keep in mind

when we subsequently study such things

as the challenges and obstacles involved

in intercultural and cross-cultural

communication

or if we want to try to look at the

social and cultural impacts of mass

media in

popular entertainment but in order to do

that we need to make sure that we've got

these first assumptions

so in order to start let's get

fundamental and let's think about the

idea

of identity in a very simple way

identity involves the characteristics

and attributes

that define who a person is or who a

group is

and so when we think about identity from

your individual standpoint you're

answering the question

who am i and when you're answering that

question from a group standpoint you're

addressing the question

who are we and then subsequently who am

i

based in part on the fact that i'm part

of this we

now in order to understand identity it's

going to be important to note that there

are a number of distinct but

interrelated dimensions that we need to

think about

the first is personal identity what we

can think about as self-concept

that's especially connected to our life

experiences this is the kind of identity

that we think about when we consider

what makes us

unique as an individual and not

necessarily that we are completely

unalike from anybody else in the world

but when we think about something that

is part of me because it's something

that i like or i appreciate or

something that i do or something that's

particularly important to me

based on the way that i'm drawn to it so

for instance

i can think of myself as a hockey player

i could think of myself as a gamer

i could think of myself as a crazy cat

lady

and before you get too worried about

that some of my best friends

are absolutely comfortable and telling

the other people in their lives

that they are in fact a crazy cat lady

so i'm just trying to respect

their self-designated identity but this

is the kind of self-concept

that describes and understands who we

are

because these are aspects of our

personally lived experiences that are

important to us

however you're probably already starting

to think well how does somebody get

involved in hockey or

gaming in the first place how does

someone

even know that the label crazy cat lady

is going to be something that other

people are going to be able to

understand and either empathize with or

scratch their heads about

that's where we need to start thinking

about identity not just as personal

but as social social identity is derived

from involvement in social groups with

which we are interpersonally committed

the idea is that we affirmatively enact

membership in some kind of group with

other people

that are involved in common interests

and common concerns

and it's our interpersonal interaction

our

social involvement with one another in

that social group

that establishes that identity so for

instance

while i might have a personal interest

in chess i could be a member

of the university of missouri chess team

i could have

particular interests in my identity

and uh my the history of myself as

a black woman and that might lead me to

join the social organization

of the delta sigma theta sorority

i might be really into dungeons and

dragons and love the

twitch stream show critical role and so

i might end up

joining the social construction of those

who refer to themselves as critters

who communicate about the show

frequently attend conventions

do cosplay activities discuss episodes

on reddit and so forth

what makes all of these social

identities

similar is that these are groups that we

make a decision to join

because it's giving us something that we

want to have

that we are sharing in common with the

other people that are in that group

and so it's our social and interpersonal

commitment

that makes that social identity what it

is

now that being said we can now start to

see

how there's going to be an important

distinction between social identity

and cultural identity cultural identity

is based on socially constructed

categories

that teach us a way of being and include

expectations for social behavior

or ways of acting this is something

that's much more fundamental

it's not just what kind of people i

choose to associate with

or what kinds of personal activities i

engage in because i want to but it's

getting at something that's

much more ingrained and fundamental in

our identity

that is something that pre-existed us

and something that is likely going to

outlive us

so for instance while i might be a

hockey player and i might be a member of

a hockey team

i can also understand myself as a white

man

i might be a gamer i might be a member

of an esports team

and i can understand myself as a woman

or and as an asian american

and i might be a member of a sorority

from a historically black college or

university

but i can also understand myself as a

black woman

and these kinds of identities are really

fundamental in that

do impart to the in-group development

of expectations and roles and norms

as well as the interaction of this group

with

other groups outside of it imposing

power on that group

however it happens it happens over the

course

of long-standing history and practice we

learn

how we are supposed to be and how we are

supposed to

act based on that now things may be

getting a little fuzzy at this point so

let's make sure we lay down some

distinctions

first of all if we're trying to think

about the difference between social

identity and cultural identity

there are some distinctions that can

help us keep these things straight

on the one hand social identity is

externally constructed through

membership

you become part of a social group

because

generally speaking you're going to

choose to be a part of that group

membership however it is that it happens

happens and there may be a point in time

in which you could potentially elect

to not be part of that social group in

which case that part of your social

identity

might go away on the other hand cultural

identity is

internally constructed and though not

all the time

usually it happens even from birth or

before birth

when you are born you are born into a

particular set

of important identifiers ways that you

are expected to understand yourself

ways you're expected to understand the

world ways that you are expected to

try to act based on those things and

it's

not something you can choose to have or

not have

for the most part now while social

identity

is driven by interpersonal activity and

commitment

you're only really part of a social

group

if you're actually doing things that

enact your membership in that group

cultural identity is driven by

pre-existing historical and social

traditions

the nature of that culture was developed

long before you were born

and is going to continue long after

you're

not there right uh social traditions

historical traditions and other

variables we'll talk about in a bit

are the things that really make you who

you are

in terms of cultural identity and it's

not like you can

choose to act on those or not act on

those the fact

that they are part of your composition

means that

to some extent people within that

culture and people outside of that

culture

will have these expectations of you

finally while social identity is defined

by alignment with

like-minded others i can join a chess

team

or an esports club or a sorority

or a fan group because there are other

people who

also have those interests and want to

interact with others

that have the same kinds of interests

again this is something that

by and large we choose to do and we can

certainly opt out of at a certain point

if we want to

cultural identity is defined by learned

ways of

being and acting this is an education

process that happens

from the time that we're born throughout

our entire lives

we learn what it is to understand

ourselves and how we're supposed to act

based on that and while there can be

internal differences and even internal

differences

of opinion uh between people who live

within a particular cultural framework

everyone is going to have an

understanding that this is the way

things are and this is the way things

ideally

should be based on our cultural

commitments

now if you want a really weird way

to understand the distinction between

society and culture

we can think about a relatively

off-the-wall analogy but stick with me

on this one

think about a mobile phone

now many if not all of you have mobile

phones and you've used them

for a long time so what i want you to do

is think about

how that mobile phone works and

what you use that mobile phone for and

why you use it

and what kinds of things that are in the

phone

make that phone and the use of it

meaningful to you

so when you think about the distinction

between society and culture you can use

the mobile phone as a touchstone

society is like the hardware of the

phone

the case of the phone itself the various

buttons that activate

functions the internal microchips and

other pieces of technology

the wiring and the lights and all of the

different things

that make the machine operate when we

think about society we want to think

about structure

we want to think about operational

systems how

things happen on the other hand when you

consider

culture think about the software think

about the apps on the phone

why do you use this phone what do you

get out of using this phone

the various pieces of software that come

with the phone

once you buy it or the ones that over

time you're able to accumulate and

collect onto the phone

these are the things that make the phone

meaningful for you

you act based on what the possibilities

are

in the software so society is the

structural hardware

that enables things to happen in an

organized way

and culture is the software it's the

underlying intelligence

it's the beliefs the values the actions

the priorities

it's what defines the parameters of what

you can do

and what you should do and why you might

want to do those things

so to tease out the distinction between

society and culture

we can think about some important

differences if we think about society

as a community's organizational

infrastructure

we're thinking about such things as

geographic space

political and legal systems economy and

commerce

public and private institutions these

are the things that

organize and structure and enable

the kinds of social and interpersonal

interactions

that make the community of people able

to function and able to do the things

that they want and need to do

on the other hand when we're thinking

about culture we're thinking about a

community's core beliefs

values rules and expectations what do we

need all that infrastructure for

in the first place and what are the

underlying assumptions that

led us to build that society the way

that we built it instead of some other

way

so think about such things as religion

and philosophy

arts and sciences behavioral norms

and of course the communication

practices and traditions

that make all of that stuff possible so

society is the organizational structural

way

of setting up a community of human

beings to be able to do stuff together

but the culture is what defines that

group of people

in terms of who they are why they are

and the ways in which they should act

within that social structure

as a final kind of illustration of the

distinction

let's think about the united states of

america now not everybody who's watching

this video

is necessarily a citizen of the united

states or

a member of u.s culture but many of you

are probably

at least passingly familiar with u.s

society and culture

so we can use this as a basis for

teasing out some of these distinctions

what's the difference between the united

states of america as a society and the

united states of america as a culture

when we think about u.s society again

remember we're thinking about

the organizational and structural

systems

and infrastructure the institutions and

the operational things

that enable the group of people in the

community

to function and do things so things like

local state and federal governments

our institutions of courts and law

enforcement

public institutions and services it's

not all

public and governmental institutions of

course

we also need to be able to get the

things that we need on the day-to-day

basis

and so the fact that we have a

consumer-driven market-based capitalist

economy

is an important part of the social

infrastructure of the united states

our education systems those institutions

that determine what we learn and how we

learn it

from an institutional perspective civic

organizations that bring people together

so that discourse and common activity

can take place

and of course the communication and

media services that are made available

so that we can go even beyond

interpersonal interaction

to be able to share information and

share meaning

with other members of the society that

could even be in very

far-flung locations within the

geographic space

of the united states so that's u.s

society

how do we think about u.s culture well

what we want to do

is think about what are the underlying

beliefs and values

and sources of our expectations and

priorities

that led us to build a society in this

particular way

so we're going to think about history

not just the history of the united

states and

the history of the colonial region of

the united states before it became a

nation

but we're going to think about the

periods of history that provided a lot

of the intellectual and cultural roots

of how we understand u.s culture so for

instance classical greece and rome

as well as for the most part european

societies

it's not just history but we're also

going to think about religion

and while there are many religions

practiced in a society

that structures a recognition of the

freedom of religious practice

the judeo-christian religious tradition

is one that

from the inception of colonies being

established in what we now call the

united states

uh christian traditions that come from

the judeo-christian interpretation of

the bible and relevant religious

scriptures provide

a moral and a spiritual and an ethical

sense

for much of what we have instantiated

into law we have a social separation

between church and state

but judeo-christian religion has

traditionally

provided much of the basis for how we

understand why we do

the laws and expectations that we do

it's not just religion though

and indeed religion isn't necessarily

the most important part

we also derive much of our cultural

assumptions from classic liberal

political philosophy and values

the tradition of the european

enlightenment particularly

in places like france and britain from

which we drew

inspirations for such things as small r

republican forms of government concepts

such as the importance of

individual autonomy freedom and equality

and those other kinds of values that now

we think almost

synonymously with u.s culture we think

about family as an important cultural

element

and the nuclear family is one that's

been particularly important for us

culture

in this culture we tend to think about

family in terms of individual households

parents and children living under the

same roof

we don't necessarily always think about

family

in terms of larger extended

organized family groups or clans as

you might for instance in other cultures

that might live in more

communal living arrangements or indeed

entire villages or towns

now it's not just the stuff that we

teach about in the textbooks and we

highlight

whenever we're feeling patriotic about

our nation that defines our cultural

identity

there's also the variety of ways

inculcated through historical practice

that have led to some pretty significant

internal flaws in our culture

that have been pretty definitive for

instance

the ways in which u.s culture has

developed

race gender and sexuality as primary

means

for establishing social power for some

people

at the expense of other people this is

something that we don't necessarily

equate with as the ideal

of united states values and principles

but

many scholars of u.s culture remind us

that it's really important

to look at these kinds of historical

actions as well

because it's not just the stuff we

celebrate but also the stuff that has

continually caused us problems as a

culture

that have really shaped and defined how

we understand ourselves

an american ideology of exceptionalism

has one that's been important ever since

the colonial period

you are probably familiar with such

phrases as

understanding the united states as a

city on a hill

a divinely selected unique and special

nation

that has a mission that is unique in the

world with regard to our values

especially values such as freedom and

equality you might be familiar with the

concept of american

manifest destiny in the 19th century the

idea that

it was always going to be the goal of

the united states

to essentially take over the entire

north american continent

because as a special culture it was

almost our duty and responsibility to

establish this

exceptional land for ourselves and of

course

with all of these kinds of values and

beliefs and priorities

the ones that feel pretty positive as

well as the ones that feel pretty

controversial

culture involves all of the art and

literature

and mythology and music and visual

iconography

all of the stuff that we learn about

from a very young age and gets passed on

from generation to generation that

teaches us

what it is to be part of the us culture

what the core values and priorities are

and indeed and it's important to note

that cultures can

and do change we're not talking about

static

human communities that are always going

to be that

the way that they are culture wasn't

established by magic

culture is established by continuing

processes and practices of communication

and social interaction so over the

course of american history

u.s culture has developed in ways that

not only have tried to maintain

what we see as the most important and

valuable aspects

of our beliefs and values and priorities

but also try to identify those

aspects of our cultural history that

have caused some

really pernicious problems and that

actually

contradict the kinds of beliefs and

values from our culture that we really

want to lift up is most important

so the ongoing work of culture is to

continually

not only maintain a tradition but also

to identify

and interrogate those aspects of the

historical and cultural tradition

that might be problematic for those who

live

within the cultural community so in

brief

as you recall while society is about the

organizational infrastructure

that makes a human community feasible

culture

is about the ongoing negotiation of

learned and patterned beliefs

attitudes values and behaviors and this

idea is going to be really important

as we move forward in our study of

communication and really start to

understand

how these enduring and powerful elements

of culture

have a really powerful impact not just

on the broad

scope of our larger community but on how

we think

and feel and act on a daily basis so as

a final point then to think about

when we consider what we mean when we're

talking about cultures

is that we want to make sure that we

move past what generally

tends to be the easiest and most

fundamental way of thinking about a

culture

that normally we pick up very early in

school or when we talk about things like

expanding our cultural awareness or our

cultural surroundings having different

kinds of cultural experiences

we often talk about cultures as

particular

places that involve certain people from

that place

so we talk a lot for instance about

things like french culture

or spanish culture or nigerian culture

or pakistani culture but it's not just

geographic places that involve culture

what makes those cultures

what they are as a culture is this

ongoing negotiation and

inculcation of the beliefs and values

and norms and

expectations of the people within that

group

so when we talk about cultures of course

we're going to talk about things like

nationality and ethnicity

we're also going to talk about things

such as

regional cultures even within a larger

nation

there can be specific locations or

specific

areas within a larger geographic space

that are going to have their own unique

traditions and ways of being

we're also going to talk about things

like race even though

the concept of race is fundamentally an

artificial social construct that was

established

in order to give some groups of people

power at the expense of other people

over the course of traditions and

interactions over the centuries

race has become a really important way

of

thinking about cultural ways of being

and acting

that should not and cannot be overlooked

we're going to talk about religion of

course and while religion

often gets wrapped up in nationality and

ethnicity

these are separable concepts and we

don't want to get caught up

in the assumption that somebody from a

particular religion

is also going to occupy the same kind of

ethnic or national space necessarily

we're also going to talk about some

things that don't necessarily

jump right off the top of your head when

you think about what makes a culture a

culture

things like gender sexual orientation

ability and disability socioeconomic

class

these kinds of constructs of human

communities

also involve traditions and histories

of acceptable versus unacceptable

assumptions

about what to believe what to value and

how to act

these kinds of patterned beliefs

attitudes

values and behaviors sometimes come

from the organic development within the

cultural community itself

and sometimes it's happened through the

imposition of power

from other groups of people coming from

outside the culture

but however it is it happens it happens

and this kind of ongoing negotiation

of learned beliefs attitudes values and

behaviors

is fundamentally important not just to

the way

that we understand how large groups of

people hold certain assumptions in

common

but also how we think about the

decisions we make about

who we are what to believe and how to

act on a day-to-day basis

so in a nutshell that's the relationship

between identity society and culture

at least a starting point for those

connections if you've got any questions

about the content in this video or other

videos in this series

please don't hesitate to let me know

otherwise i'll see you next time

[Music]

you